Five things to watch: Washington Huskies at Oregon State Beavers

Five things to watch: Washington Huskies (6-4) at Oregon State Beavers (6-4) Saturday, Nov. 23 | 7:30 p.m. PST | Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Ore. | TV: ESPN2
There have been concerns about this season’s Washington Huskies football team. The critiques are so old hat that they’ve almost become jokes. They go: “The Huskies can’t win the big game,” or “Steve Sarkisian can’t win on the road.”
For the most part those criticisms are true. Washington’s road record under Sarkisian (7-19) isn’t good, and the UW is worst against good teams on the road. That brings us to Saturday's matchup against the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis, Ore., where the Huskies haven’t won since 2003. The last time the Huskies played in Corvallis was in 2011, when a 2-9 Beavers squad beat a 6-4 Huskies team that started Nick Montana at quarterback for an injured Keith Price.
Oregon State boasts one of the best passing attacks in the conference, yet will go up against one of the best passing defenses in the conference in Washington. Similarly, the Beavers’ pass defense has been porous when facing explosive passing offenses, which the Huskies also have. However, Price may not play due to a right shoulder injury -- after practicing Thursday and Friday, he is still a game-time decision. If Price doesn't play, backup Cyler Miles will start under center.
Click through the gallery to see what we’ll be watching for in Saturday's contest between the Huskies and Beavers. less

1. Can the Huskies win a Pac-12 road game?
It’s broken-record time. The Huskies have road-losing streaks to every Pac-12 school except California and Colorado. It seems like we’ve been talking about the UW’s road futility for some time -- like five years. But until the Huskies figure out that part of their schedule, seven wins per season is about the most they seem capable of achieving.
If you look at Washington’s schedule last year, the games they won on the road were as winnable as can be, against Colorado and California. But the Huskies lost to Oregon, Arizona and Washington State on the road. And, if you recall, a win in last year’s Apple Cup would have given Washington eight wins. The Huskies will need to win this game to avoid another mediocre record.
Also of note: The last time the Huskies played in Corvallis, in 2003, was the late time they returned a punt for a touchdown. less

1. Can the Huskies win a Pac-12 road game?
It’s broken-record time. The Huskies have road-losing streaks to every Pac-12 school except California and Colorado. It seems like we’ve been talking about the ... more

Photo: Harry How / Getty Images

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2. Can the Huskies stop the Beavers' prolific passing attack?
Oregon State has the top-rated passing offense in the NCAA this year. Quarterback Sean Mannion has passed for 3,860 yards this season, 372 more yards than Keith Wenning of Ball State. He’s also leading the NCAA in touchdown passes with 33. The Beavers rank second in the country averaging 396.3 yards through the air.
But the their passing game doesn’t start and end with Mannion. Their star receiver, Brandin Cooks, is also leading the nation with both 1,443 yards receiving and 100 receptions. Cooks is the only receiver in the FBS with triple-digit receptions.
The Beavers, though, have only one other receiver with more than 40 catches and five or more touchdowns. And they have one of the worst rushing attacks in the nation, averaging only 69.5 yards per game on the ground.
Washington’s secondary, meanwhile, has been stout most of the year. They’ve given up more than 200 yards in the air just three times: to Oregon (366), California (352) and Arizona State (271). Those numbers look worse than they really are; Oregon’s and ASU’s passing games were mostly effective because of how well they were running the ball, and Jared Goff of Cal threw 54 passes.
Look for the Dawgs' experienced secondary to make the Beavers one-dimensional in their offense. It’s obvious the Beavers want to throw it, but if the Dawgs can keep Oregon State in obvious passing downs, then they ought to have the advantage. less

2. Can the Huskies stop the Beavers' prolific passing attack?
Oregon State has the top-rated passing offense in the NCAA this year. Quarterback Sean Mannion has passed for 3,860 yards this season, 372 more ... more

Photo: Steve Dykes / Getty Images

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3. How good is Damore'ea Stringfellow?
If you didn't know which position Damore'ea Stringfellow played, you might think he was a linebacker or a tight end -- some position that requires size and strength.
Stringfellow is a wide receiver, but boy is he built. He stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 220 pounds. He has the body of a prototypical NFL wide receiver and showed that potential in last week’s game against UCLA.
In the fourth quarter last Friday at the Rose Bowl, Stringfellow caught a pass from Miles on the 5-yard line, and muscled his way through two Bruins defenders into the end zone. After the game, he said he didn’t know where that came from, that he just wanted to score.
The true freshman, playing behind experienced wideouts Kasen Williams and Kevin Smith, had trouble getting on the field before Williams went down. Stringfellow had just three catches this season before exploding for eight against the Bruins, racking up 147 yards and that touchdown.
Look for Stringfellow to make his presence known in a secondary that has had its fair share of problems this season. less

3. How good is Damore'ea Stringfellow?
If you didn't know which position Damore'ea Stringfellow played, you might think he was a linebacker or a tight end -- some position that requires size and ... more

Photo: Alex Gallardo / Associated Press

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4. Will the defensive line get some sacks?
Oregon State likes to throw the football. Mannion is averaging 48.2 pass attempts per game this season and hasn’t had fewer than 40 all year. When Mannion became the starter in September 2011, as a redshirt freshman, Mannion’s lowest number of pass attempts in a game is 23, coming in a 77-3 win over Nicholls State last season. In his three-year career as a starter, Mannion is averaging 43 attempts per game.
That many passes means lots of sack opportunities for the Washington defensive line. The Dawgs have recorded 28 sacks this season, good for fourth in the Pac-12 and 20th in the nation. They are led by junior end Hau’oli Kikaha who is tied for fifth in the league with 7 sacks. In fact, he is tied with Anthony Barr of UCLA, a probable first-round draft pick.
The last team the Huskies played that throws as much as Oregon State was California. The Golden Bears actually have more pass attempts (585) than the Beavers (495) but have almost 300 fewer passing yards. The Dawgs sacked Goff five times in that game in late October in a 41-17 win.
In Oregon State’s last three games – all losses – Mannion was sacked 11 times. Look for UW defensive coordinator Josh Wilcox to dial up pressure to move Mannion around. less

4. Will the defensive line get some sacks?
Oregon State likes to throw the football. Mannion is averaging 48.2 pass attempts per game this season and hasn’t had fewer than 40 all year. When Mannion ... more

Photo: Ralph Freso / Getty Images

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5. Can Cyler Miles fill in for Keith Price? If Price doesn't play ...
You've got to love irony in sports. The last time a quarterback not named Keith Price started a football game for the Washington Huskies, it was Nick Montana in 2011. The then-redshirt freshman was relieved by Price in the fourth quarter after completing 11-of-21 passes for just 79 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Price came in with the Dawgs down 31-14 and almost led a comeback that eventually fell short at 38-21. That Oregon State team finished the year 3-9, with its two other wins coming against WSU and Arizona.
But that’s all in the past. This Saturday might be the first-career start for redshirt freshman Cyler Miles. The Denver-area native had seen some action in garbage time this year before being forced to relieve Price after his shoulder injury last Friday.
As we reported this week, Price didn't practice until Thursday because of a sore shoulder, and is a game-time decision to play against the Beavers. Miles is much more mobile than Price -- look for him to use his legs, as well as his arm, if Price is unable to play. less

5. Can Cyler Miles fill in for Keith Price? If Price doesn't play ...
You've got to love irony in sports. The last time a quarterback not named Keith Price started a football game for the Washington ... more

Photo: Alex Gallardo / Associated Press

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BONUS: Can the Dawgs' passing offense stay explosive?
In the last three games we have seen Washington’s passing game be as explosive as we’ve seen it under Steve Sarkisian. Against Colorado and California earlier this month, Price was brilliant in the deep passing game and Miles made big plays in relief against UCLA last week.
This week, the Huskies have an opportunity to keep the explosive passing game going. Oregon State is seventh in the Pac-12 giving up an average of 237.3 yards per game through the air, and gave up 448 yards passing in their season-opening loss to Eastern Washington.
Although Saturday could be Miles’ first start, he has established players around him. All-conference tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins caught a touchdown pass from Miles last Friday at the Rose Bowl. Sophomore Marvin Hall caught a 50-yard pass from Price. And then there was Stringfellow. All of them are capable of game-changing, explosive plays.
Look for Stringfellow, Seferian-Jenkins and Hall -- along with Kevin Smith and Jaydon Mickens -- to have big days against a subpar Beavers secondary on Friday. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. PST and televised on ESPN2. less

BONUS: Can the Dawgs' passing offense stay explosive?
In the last three games we have seen Washington’s passing game be as explosive as we’ve seen it under Steve Sarkisian. Against Colorado and ... more

Photo: Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images

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Five things to watch: Washington Huskies at Oregon State Beavers

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